Posted on August 21, 2021July 2, 2024The Duplication Machine (continued . . .) Late that night, a dark figure climbed the face of the tenement building that housed Robi’s apartment. This is the window. The intruder was soon inside the apartment, and delving into a drawer that contained an emperor’s ransom in precious objects. They’re all here. Enough to keep me for the rest of my life ! And he won’t be needing them any more ! —heh ! heh ! And then . . . So, you animal— you dared to come back, eh ? Aaaaaaaaaah ! Robi stared at the thief in astonishment. You’re a ghost ! An evil spectre ! With my own eyes I saw you hurled from the cliff-top last evening ! Don’t come near me ! You are evil—evil ! Blinded by panic, the wretch fell back to his doom ! Eeeeeeeeeeaaaaaagh ! In the silence that followed, Robi looked down. So that’s it, eh ? My duplicate was destroyed by that cur ! And it is impossible to make a second copy of myself ! I am all alone again—and the chances of my great discovery being detected increase with every day that passes ! What shall I do ? At dawn next day, the Catons attempted the first bombing raid of the war upon the Trigan capital. An air battle raged till noon. Robi witnessed the conflict in the sky—and it gave him food for thought. That’s it ! It’s to Cato I must look to complete my fortune ! I will provide them with a rich prize, for which they will pay me anything I demand ! When Janno, the emperor’s nephew, landed his fighter-craft later that day . . . Message for you, Lord Janno. What’s this ? . . . “You will remember me, Lord Janno. I am Peric’s assistant Robi. I have something of great interest to show you, if you will come to my apartment . . .” Intrigued and mystified by the strange invitation, Janno went to Robi’s apartment that evening. He found the door ajar. Robi !— Are you in there ? Sudden oblivion descended upon Janno ! Uuuuuh ! . . . Instants later, Robi was bundling the unconscious form of the emperor’s nephew into his strange device. I must work quickly—before he comes to his senses . . . It was not long before Janno’s shape began to appear— duplicated ! What’s this ? . . . “You will remember me, Lord Janno. I am Peric’s assistant Robi. I have something of great interest to show you, if you will come to my apartment . . .” I must work quickly—before he comes to his senses . . . This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 501 on 21 August 1971.
Posted on August 14, 2021July 1, 2024The Duplication Machine (continued . . .) It is at this point in time that fate intrudes upon our strange story. A Trigan warship, voyaging in thick fog, collided with a passenger liner from Cato. Aaah ! The accursed Trigan is going to ram us ! Stop engines ! The Caton vessel sank with appalling casualties. The mishap was twisted to their own advantage by an extremist party in the Caton senate, who wished to crush the Trigan Empire. I say that it was a deliberate attack upon one of our unarmed passenger liners. How much longer is Cato going to swallow these outrages ? On the day that Cato declared war upon the Trigan Empire, Robi completed certain adjustments to his strange device. And now— to see if it is capable of duplicating me ! Krakkkk-kkkk-kkkk ! . . . As the machine began to work . . . A A A E E E E E A A A G H ! When it was all over, he stepped out and came face-to-face with— himself ! By the stars ! It has worked ! You are me ! And I am you —we are duplicates ! Because you are a duplicate of myself, I can trust you implicitly. Together, we can become the richest and most powerful inhabitants of this planet. Listen, and I will tell you the details of my plan . . . Meanwhile, in a low tavern in the roughest part of Trigan City, the sneak thief who had formerly been Robi’s accomplice was doing business with a pair of cut-throats. All right ! You want us to get rid of this Robi fellow—what are you going to pay us ? How about this ring ?—worth an emperor’s ransom ! Done ! Robi is as good as dead. Later that day . . . There he is —he fits the description of Robi ! Right— let’s get him ! Uuuuh . . . They hurled the limp form of their victim from the highest clifftop near Trigan City. One . . . two . . . Three ! and away he goes ! This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 500 on 14 August 1971.
Posted on August 7, 2021July 1, 2024The Duplication Machine (continued . . .) Nightly and in great secrecy, Robi made use of the strange device in his master’s laboratory. Nothing can stop me now— nothing ! The device was capable of duplicating any precious object placed within it. There was only one snag—it would only make one copy of each object, and the duplicates could not be copied. What’s more, the law cannot touch me—for I commit no crime ! The activities of Robi’s henchman mystified and worried the Commissioner of the Trigan City Police. He reported it to the Emperor. . . . a series of the strangest thefts that has ever come into my experience, Imperial Majesty ! Only items of the greatest value are taken—and then returned to where they belong within a few hours ! This raises a puzzling point of law, Commissioner—is it a crime, in the Trigan Empire, to borrow another person’s possessions without asking permission ? Er—I rather fancy it isn’t, Imperial Majesty ! Nightly the strange thefts continued. Peric, meanwhile, had no inkling of what his device was doing. By the way—have you managed to get any sense out of this confounded contraption ? Not yet, master. Maybe its workings are too difficult for me to comprehend—but I live in hopes. It would be simpler if I could remove it from the laboratory and work on it at home. Take it with my blessing. I don’t think it will ever work properly. Thank you, master ! You old fool ! Little do you know that you are giving away a fortune ! Once the device was set up in his own lodgings, Robi was able to spend all his spare time in adding to his hoard. What about this ! I sneaked it out of the State Museum ! Wonderful ! Wonderful ! But what’s this ? By all the stars, this ring you’re wearing was supposed to have been returned days ago. What happened to its companion pieces, you rogue ? I—I sold them ! Well, why not ? I’m sick of taking stuff and then having to return it. Sold them ? You blundering dolt ! Don’t you realise that if the city police trace these pieces back to you, we could both spend the next ten lunar years in the mines ? Get out and stay out ! I’ve finished with you ! Aaaaaaaaaaagh ! I’ve not finished with you, master ! Robi was in despair. All night long, he racked his brains for a solution to his problem. What am I to do ? I could pick another thief out of the gutter—but the same thing would happen again. If only I had an accomplice I could trust. And then—his eyes fell upon the strange device. And a wild idea sprang into his mind ! Supposing I were to make a duplicate of my own self ? There is only one person on Elekton I can really trust— myself ! I’ve not finished with you, master ! Robi was in despair. All night long, he racked his brains for a solution to his problem. What am I to do ? I could pick another thief out of the gutter—but the same thing would happen again. If only I had an accomplice I could trust. And then—his eyes fell upon the strange device. And a wild idea sprang into his mind ! Supposing I were to make a duplicate of my own self ? There is only one person on Elekton I can really trust— myself ! This installment was originally published in Look and Learn issue no. 499 on 7 August 1971.
